The Time Is Now
by silverTimeTwin
Summary: He knew that they lost, and he knew there wasnt any way they could turn the tide around. But it was fine; they had each other. (BASICALLY ACRONIX’S THOUGHTS THEOUGHOUT SEASON 7)


_After the force of the pull wore off, they knew they had made a mistake. The temporal current was strong, and there didn't seem to be any Time Blade within miles of their sight. The younger twin clung onto the older one as the current carried them along the vortex. Both kept a lookout of any of the Time Blades, an echo of what used to be their powers. They still couldn't believe it. All their power, what defined them, as Time Elementals, just...gone. The weird, empty feeling of loss hadn't quite receded yet, and the currents weren't making it any better._

 _They_ _drifted on slowly, not knowing what lay ahead of them. The sensation was almost...surreal...peaceful...and calm._

 _If only they knew it was the clam before the storm._

 _They should have known the vortex to be unstable, to be unpredictable. Alas, their temporary lack of foresight caused it. The twin still remembered vividly as a strong bout of current, stronger than the Master of Water's tsunami tides, pushed against both of them, and tearing them apart. Following closely yet another wave, this time dragging both in different directions - one to the unknown future, forty years later, and one back into the past._

 _He remembered the screaming. The desperate yells as both tried to fight against the current - something so much stronger than the two of them- trying to reach each other, who seemed so close, yet so far away. The blind sense of panic slamming into him as he got dragged further and further away from his twin, the only one who had understood him, stood by him for so many years, he knew he sounded cheesy but it was his twin and they've never gone more than a few miles away from each other and..._

 _"BROTHER!"_

 _That sense of emptiness he felt just increased, the lack of warmth of his twin's hands, the lack of feel where_ _his_ _powers_ _once_ _resides_ , _the lack of knowledge making him grow cold inside. The emptiness...the desperation...the horror...the..._

The ebony haired twin jerked awake, shooting up in his bed as he glanced around, panicked. For a few long moments he was back in the temporal vortex, not knowing where he was, with that lack of motivation and desperation clinging to him as he wished he hadn't ever gone through that stupid vortex. Then his eyes finally registered the soothing darkness of his room, the lack of colours and the still air.

 _Just_ _darkness_... _no_ _colour_... _just_... _darkness_...

He let out a heavy breath as he slowly relaxed, eyes settling into the dark as the blurry outlines of furniture came into focus. He was in Ninjago Museum, with his brother. That seemed to settle him and the panic that had seized him slowly ebbed away.

The former elemental master growled at himself and pushed a few strands of hair out of his eyes. He shouldn't be having...nightmares. He controlled the most powerful element in Ninjago, dammit! (Or, used to. He's still trying to get used to that fact.) He knew that he was fine, he knew that his mind was just overreacting. Hah. He definitely didn't have any issues.

(But deep down he knew, he knew that he was far from alright and whatever he experienced had been real, raw emotion.)

He sighed again and glanced around his room Krux had loaned him for the night. His gaze fell onto the metropolis city known as New Ninjago City and couldn't help as he dragged himself off the bed and towards the window sill. So much had changed in forty years...he barely recognised the place anymore. A part of him was so excited to check out the new cityscape, and yet another smaller, but just as insistent, part of him just wanted to sit down and grieve about the places that his brother and he used to visit when they had been kids.

(But that was weak, and he can't afford weaknesses.)

The twin sat there for FSM-knows-how-long, just staring at the bright city (why was the city so bright at night?), until the sun finally began to rise. For a fleeting, small moment he was dropping back down into the Monastery of Spinjitzu, and celebrating he fact that his feet were on solid ground and not floating uselessly until he had been interrupted by Wu.

Then, as he heard his brother's footsteps rounding the corner he dove back into the bed, pretending to be asleep and hearing his brother calling out for him to wake.

After all, it would be a long day for both of them.

TheTimeIsNow

The plan was...okay.

That was it. Okay. He didn't really drink it all up, after all, he was too busy using his new BorgPad. But even through his half-hearted listening he knew he wouldn't like it.

'Pre modern glory? Ninjago?' In the past day he'd seen so much of New Ninjago City he couldn't possibly imagine the citizens' lives without technology. So, no. He didn't like the plan one bit.

But he knew his brother spent forty years on this plan. Forty years while he was lost in the Temporal Vortex, preparing for his return. The twin knew that this had been essentially his brother's life - finalising and making sure that the plan would work. Even if he didn't like it, even if the plan succeeding meant that he - and the rest of Ninjago - may certainly never interact with technology ever again, he knew it would be worth it.

He knew, because brothers sacrifice things for each other. His brother had essentially sacrificed half his life for this, so he knew he had to do the same.

No matter how much he didn't like it. It's for his brother, and, to a certain extent, for himself.

(Another side, a selfish, more cruel side of him, wanting to see how others would feel if time had messed up their entire lives.)

The younger twin sighed and looked at the BorgPad in his hand, before switching it on. He looked at the sleek contraption and wondered if he could ever let such things go.

(Deep down, a small, nagging and selfish part of him thinks that it isn't worth it, and that he shouldn't support his brother. It's just a thought.)

He powered the gadget off and gazed out at the bright city again. So full of life, citizens ignorant of whatever calamities about to befall them, trusting, and full of hope.

He's trying so hard to integrate with it, despite knowing they would eventually perish.

(It's worth it.)

The twin shrugged, and went to bed, thoughts still focused on his brother and the bright lights of the city.

TheTimeIsNow

 _The fatigue hit first. Being stripped of his power isn't an easy thing - it was as if a life force was being sucked away from him. And it was as if a sledgehammer slammed into his head and body - a hollowing and empty sensation fuelled by the sudden lightheadedness and lack of energy. He had never thought it was possible. But it was_.

TheTimeIsNow

He knew he shouldn't stop fighting Wu. He knew that if he did, the entire plan would be entirely sabotaged and his brother's entire forty years would have been for nothing.

But, as he glanced at his twin, he saw. He saw the exact same anguish and desperation and anger in his brother's eyes, the way Krux fought as he held off the fire and water master. He knew that the plan had veered severely off course, and yet he wanted to persist on, to make sure at least some semblance of the plan works.

He knew his brother just wanted this entire thing to work, for the both of them. He didn't want to have lived forty years planning, strategising, only for the said plan to blow up in his face.

He knew that he should be holding off Wu. But if he did, his brother would most likely not make it. If he continued against Wu, Kai and Nya would overpower his brother.

(He didn't want to know what they would do.)

The twin's mind went back to the Monastery fight forty years ago. The way Garmadon has released Krux in favour for Wu. He nearly laughed at the resemblance, and he could see the old man had made the connection too. Withdrawing his katana from where it had been attacking Wu, he threw himself into the battle between siblings, knowing that the Iron Doom would be sabotaged.

He wasn't at all surprised when Wu pushed Kai and Nya out of the vortex.

TheTimeIsNow

Wu...was a toddler.

Truth to be told he had no idea how to react to that. His enemy, forty years ago and now, was. A. Child. In any other circumstances it should have been hilarious. He would have laughed at his brother's look of disbelief as he stared at the small, giggling baby practically swimming in his previous Sensei robes. But when one was in an unstable mech about to blow up in a temporal vortex, they tend worry about more...pressing matters. He glanced at his brother, who had made a similar conclusion.

"We need to get off."

The way his brother said it, the utter defeat in his voice as his gaze swept from the smouldering Iron Doom to the baby to himself, just caused that horrible, twisting guilt that had been residing in his gut since this whole mess had begun, to grow and gnaw at him. Why did he ever think this had been a good idea?

"We do." He concurred. "And soon."

There was another pause, a more awkward one as both stared at Baby Wu who had ceased his giggled and now wailing loudly at not having received enough attention.

"Why'd you do that?"

He started and turned to his brother. The words carried heat, but he could tell from the posture and the weariness buried between each word that his brother was not genuinely angry. The small gnawing guilt he felt in his gut ever since the whole mess started increased, and he refused to answer. What could he say?

"Why?"

More insistent now. Acronix could either continue being quiet, or...

The younger twin stalked over the small distance between him and his brother...and seized Krux into a tight hug. The elder twin, surprised by the sudden action, tensed slightly before slowly placing his arms around Acronix awkwardly, not knowing what had gotten into him.

"I can't keep battling Wu." the younger twin mumbled after embarrassingly pulling away. "I'd do it again in a heartbeat, okay? Honestly helping you was much better than trying to prolong the fight which will, either way, have the same consequences. We'd lose either way, and I can't lose you again." Acronix shook his head slightly. "I just..."

He looked up to see Krux nodding. It was slow — almost hesitant as he seemed to accept that, yes, they had lost. The concept was foreign. But it was true. And Acronix knew his brother knew just as well as him, that it did not matter.

Not anymore.

They had each other.

And that was enough.

With one final glance behind at their broken dreams, Acronix grabbed Baby Wu (much to the displeasure of Krux) and grabbed his brother's hand. With an almost impeccable nod, both brothers knew what to do. They had made that mistake once; they won't make it again.

Krux and Acronix held on to each other tightly, making sure neither party would ever let go, and jumped.


End file.
